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Inside Zcash's new node that targets Visa-scale privacy at 50,000 transactions per second
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- DeepHorus
Zcash's new Zakura node aims to bring privacy-preserving transactions to Visa-scale throughput, targeting over 50,000 transactions per second. Released on Wednesday as version 1.0.0, the software is the first live component of a broader plan to scale Zcash's privacy features to global payment network levels. The node is maintained independently by Sean Bowe, a founding Zcash cryptographer, and Dev Ojha, Osmosis cofounder leading Valar Group, funded by private ZEC donations.
Zakura is a pruned, fast-syncing fork of Zebra, the Zcash Foundation's node software, and includes compatibility with the legacy zcashd client ahead of its July 18 end of life. It supports the Ironwood upgrade (NU6.3) activating July 28, which introduces a turnstile mechanism to cap Orchard shielded pool withdrawals and address a long-standing soundness bug that could allow counterfeit ZEC. The node can sync in under two minutes by downloading an 11 GB snapshot, which the team claims is 680 times faster than traditional methods.
Current Zcash cryptography would require over 500 MB/s of throughput to handle 50,000 transactions per second—equivalent to a full DVD of data every ten seconds. However, Project Tachyon, led by Bowe, aims to reduce this burden using recursive proofs, where one proof attests to thousands of others, dramatically shrinking verification data. The team's blog post states that Mastercard and Visa handle more than 50,000 tps, calling that figure "its floor, not its target."
The implications are significant: achieving Visa-scale privacy could enable Zcash to compete with major payment networks while preserving full verifiability and strong privacy guarantees. This would unlock real-world adoption for private digital cash, but the technical challenges remain immense. The Zakura launch represents a community-driven effort funded by private donations rather than corporate backing, emphasizing grassroots innovation.
Sean Bowe and Dev Ojha have expressed confidence that the cryptography their teams are developing will close the gap. The compatibility mode ensures existing wallets and exchanges can seamlessly transition to the new node without disruption. With Zakura as a foundation, Zcash's scaling roadmap includes further work on recursive proofs and private information retrieval to remove all bottlenecks.
Looking ahead, Zcash aims to reach tens of thousands of private transactions per second, potentially reshaping the landscape for privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. The July 28 Ironwood activation is a critical step, and the team continues to refine the software. If successful, Zcash could become a viable alternative for global payments, combining privacy with the throughput of traditional financial networks.
